TODAY A READER,
TOMORROW A LEADER
Each semester the students of SkillsUSA are challenged to come up with a project that benefits their community. Previous community service projects have
led students to collecting canned food for local food banks, sponsoring children from the Angel Tree during Christmas, and donating items to support the
Fort Smith Boys and Girls shelters. This semester students wanted to place an emphasis on the benefits of reading and encourage younger students to develop
a love for reading.
SkillsUSA members organized a book drive for first grade students attending Waldron Elementary, titling their project â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader.â&#x20AC;?
Their goal was to collect a minimum of 150 first grade level books so each student attending Waldron Elementary would have one book to take home.
On April 28, SkillsUSA members reached their goal and delivered the books to the students at Waldron Elementary. Members spent time with the first
grade classes reading to them, talking about what it means to be a SkillsUSA member, and stressing the importance of getting good grades and pursuing
a higher education.
SkillsUSA is a student organization that aims to improve the quality of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skilled workforce through a structured program of citizenship, leadership,
employability, and technical and professional skills training. SkillsUSA enhances the lives and careers of students, instructors, and industry representatives
as they strive to be champions at work. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations.

DIRECTORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CORNER
Wow! Another year completed.
I am very proud of our UAFS/WATC students. Our students are what make WATC great! I
was thrilled with the number of Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Honor Roll recipients we had this year. Eightynine students had a 3.80 or higher GPA this year, and 75 of them had a GPA of 4.0. That
is 84 percent of the honor roll recipients, which shows how focused our students are and
their passion for learning. I am also proud of all the other students who received awards
at the WATC Awards Ceremony. A large number of students received awards, certificates,
and scholarships to continue their education right here at UAFS. I am proud of each
student who was nominated by their instructors for these awards, including the students
from our satellite campus at Waldron High School. Waldron plays an important part
in our mission to provide the best concurrent credit classes available to our students.
The Health Sciences program of study at the Waldron campus assists us in doing just
that. In addition, Waldron students took home several medals from the state SkillsUSA
competition in Hot Springs in April.
I must also thank the staff of the WATC office for the fantastic work they do behind the
scenes. From our participation in Partners in Education with the Fort Smith junior high
schools, integrated instruction and advising to Next Step visits, parent preview nights,
high school visits, and SkillsUSA, our WATC staff is the best! Each person who visited the
office this year had the pleasure of interacting with a staff that I believe is great! Each
staff member - Mrs. Robison, Mrs. Green, Mrs. Cheek, and Mrs. Scott - are always there
to help students and keep them focused.
I attended the SkillsUSA competition in Hot Springs again this year as I always do in April. We are so proud of the competitive spirit in each of our contest
participants. Each of the students was nominated by a faculty member in their program area. I am proud of their work and the 11 medals won in Hot Springs.
The Next Step visits were a great part of the spring semester as we brought tenth grade students from most all of the high schools WATC serves to the UAFS
campus in order for them to see first-hand the UAFS/WATC experience. We have received a great number of new applications for admission into WATC for
2017/2018, and these visits surely helped generate interest in the program area wide. We are expecting another great fall semester.
As the page turns toward next year, I see a great continued future for WATC and the students that attend classes here on the UAFS campus. What a wonderful
opportunity the students have to receive college credit for work completed during their junior and senior years of high school. We are confident in the area
students remaining interested in the WATC program for years to come. It is my sincere hope to be a part of that future for many years. See you in August!
D. Chris Rink, Ed.D.
Director

WATC STAFF
D. Chris Rink
Director
788-7701

Savanna Robison
Assistant Director
788-7713

Questions?

Sarah Green
Program Coordinator
788-7726

Please contact our WATC staff with questions about the WATC program
in general or for more information on a specific career training path.

Donna Scott
Integrated Specialist
788-7336

Kimi Hayden
Administrative Specialist II
788-7700

Rebecca Cheek
Academic Adviser
788-7122

2016-2017

Outstanding WATC Students
For each WATC program, an outstanding student is recognized for demonstrating honesty, integrity, and a strong work ethic above and beyond the instructorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
expectations. Outstanding WATC students receive a $500 scholarship to continue their education at the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith. To be nominated
for the scholarship, a student must be a high school senior who has a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at UAFS, has completed one semester in the WATC
program for which he or she is nominated, is enrolled in the program currently, and is in good standing with the program.

SkillsUSA Gold Star Members
SkillsUSA Gold Star Members are students who earned more than 25
participation points throughout the school year. Students collect points by
attending SkillsUSA functions and volunteering in the community and earn a
$300 book scholarship to UAFS. Recipients include:
Brandon Cross of Van Buren, Van Buren High School
Laichia Moua of Cecil, County Line High School
Jesus Mejia of Waldron, Waldron High School
Alesha Thach of Fort Smith, Southside High School
Abigail Welborn of Van Buren, Van Buren High School
Smart Vang of Paris, County Line High School

WATC
Starfish Awards
WATC Starfish Awards were presented to students who went above and
beyond expectations, exuded passion for the WATC program, helped peers
succeed, and demonstrated exemplary leadership skills. Two Starfish
Awards, along with $500 book scholarships to UAFS, were presented
to Rachael Keomany (Fort Smith, Northside High School), and Shariesa
Feimster (Huntington, Mansfield High School).
Rachael Keomany is in the WATC pharmacy tech program and will sit for
the certification exam this summer. She also completed the CNA program
and is one of the first students to complete two certification programs in
WATC Health Science. Rachael has been an active member of SkillsUSA for
the past two years and is always willing to lend a hand, not only for the
betterment of the program, but for her community as well. Members of the
WATC staff have witnessed Rachaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outgoing, helpful personality and
appreciate her dedication to the program and her peers.
Shariesa Feimster is in the WATC Early Childhood Education program. She
stood out among her peers as an excellent student and natural leader.
Shariesa encourages her peers to be respectful and carries herself with
confidence and professionalism. She has been an excellent role model
to the children she works with at Sandyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daycare in Huntington for her
practicum and will no doubt be a successful educator.

Fort Smith Students Tour WATC
Throughout the spring 2017 semester, WATC welcomed students from all Fort Smith junior high
schools and sixth grade students from Morrison Elementary on campus to explore various program
offerings. Along with a campus tour and presentation from the UAFS Admissions Office, students
received an in-depth look at the WATC automotive, electronics, and welding programs.
Eighth graders from each Fort Smith junior high school witnessed a demonstration by electronics
instructor John Martini. With a little help from his robot assistant â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grumpy,â&#x20AC;? Martini provided
instruction to the students about the possibilities of robotic technology.
Sixth graders from Morrison Elementary in Fort Smith received a hands-on experience from the
welding department. Welding Instructor Michael Dugan helped the students weld a piece of metal
they were able to take home with them at the end of the tour.

Early Step Scholars
The WATC Early Step Scholarship is an award for selected students to take Composition I or a similar class during the summer. The scholarships are valued at
approximately $700 each. Students are selected based on their ACT score, WATC attendance, grade point average, and interest in enrolling for the summer term.
Tabitha May of Greenwood, Greenwood High School
Vincent Allard of Lavaca, Charleston High School
Adrianna Mott of Booneville, Booneville High School
Garrison Carter of Fort Smith, Southside High School
Micah Murdock of Fort Smith, Southside High School
Tyler Coble of Greenwood, Greenwood High School
Madison Oelke of Greenwood, Greenwood High School
Abigail Crelia of Van Buren, Van Buren High School
Tori Taylor of Fort Smith, Southside High School
Jacob Evans of Van Buren, Van Buren High School
Kyler Tracy of Greenwood, Greenwood High School
Zachery Keyes of Fort Smith, Southside High School
Haeven Langston of Fort Smith, Greenwood High School